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Beach, 25/02/2017

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The start of my self-portrait, made with Photoshop

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22/02/2017, 12:10

It’s Daddy’s birthday today! I wish I could be there with him... This is literally the first year in my entire life where I wasn’t able to be around and make his birthday special for him :( I’m sure he has to work... he has been so busy lately since he got the promotion at his job. I hope something special happens for him.

I just got out of my painting class... though I did absolutely no painting because I have no idea what I want to do. Well, I guess I kind of have an idea, but it’s nothing I am too excited about. I’m dedicating today to try and figure out what I want to do. I think I want to do a self-portrait to... How do you say? Confront myself? Yeah, I guess that’s how you say what I’m trying to say. UGH. I’m so bad at words when it comes to conceptualizing my work... Wish me luck. I’ll be back to write later. 

22:37

Hi. Hey. Hello! Today has been really good. I think I have figured out that I definitely will be doing a serious self-portrait and finally face my fears! I’m not sure why I am so scared to paint myself... I guess that is something I must question as I go through the piece. I just need to figure out what I want to do in the background. I think I want it to have something to do with doilies because I’m going for like a perfect, dainty quality to the work. I actually took some selfies, trying to work out what I wanted to do. And there is one photo in particular that I like where I am holding my eyelashes which relates to the daintiness. I think anyways. Bleh. I am just going to start painting and see where that gets me. 

I went again with Pinar to get more supplies. Everyone I have talked to feels like we are all spending way too much money on supplies this year... It’s kind of frustrating. But it’s okay because it is for the sake of art!!

My boyfriend has been doing better of staying in contact with me. I think that has something to do with why I am in a good mood. I miss him a lot. We are both very busy and the time difference makes it hard to talk much with each other. So I really cherish the moments we are together. Video-chatting I mean. Gosh, I couldn’t imagine moving to another country without the Internet... Haha. I sound so “first-world probs,” I mean. I think I would go crazy without being able to see my loved ones and their faces every once and a while being here. Having to only write letters and what not... Heck to the no... So, I thank you, Internet. Okay, I need to go finish my green tea and go to bed. I’ll be back to write soon.

❤ xoxo,

Bimbles

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21/02/2017, 13:26

So today has been wonderful so far. I told myself I would get up at 7 am, but I didn’t actually get up until like 8:15 or so. I think that is a really good start considering I slept in until 3 pm on Sunday. I basically had to force myself to fall asleep at 11 last night, but it has been so worth it because I had time to meditate, stretch my back (because I have weird back aches always in the morning), and I even had time for breakfast?! That’s a first for me. 

The only bad thing is that I rushed out of my apartment because I heard the maid coming... yeah I’m a freak... and I forgot to brush my freakin’ teeth and put on deodorant... I’m disgusting lol. AND I forgot my water bottle... oops. Oh well. I don’t really care because I’m chewing gum, and I meditated, like I said, this morning, so I am feeling quite calm. I like it. I haven’t meditated or practiced mindfulness in months, so it was slightly difficult to stay focused, but I’m sure with some practice, I’ll be back at it 100%. 

I’m just at school now. I got here like 30 minutes before my class starts, so I’ve decided to bask in the sun in this beautiful garden the Art Faculty has. There’s tree and birds and flowers and nude statues all around, so I’m really feeling this. Also, I have to point out that the weather is BEAUTIFUL. It’s like 67 degrees, the wind is blowing occasionally, and it is just the perfect weather for me. Not too hot... not cold. I love it. Everyone is out on their lunch break right now, and I’m just being a creep and people watching. As you do. I can’t help but think of my school back at home, and how much I miss my friends, but don’t really miss the school part much at all. My home school is cool, but I feel like I really needed this change in my life. I’m so grateful. I will probably write again later tonight, so I will see you then.

22:37

Shit. I need to get to bed so I will actually be able to get up in the morning. I just spent like the past two hours figuring out intros and outros for my YouTube videos, and I’m actually pretty stoked on how they turned out. At least for being my first intro/outro. Maybe I’ll get big someday, and I will be able to pay someone to make this kind of stuff for me. Wishful thinking lol. Except not really because it was actually kind of fun to make and figure out how I really want to present myself on the Internet. Hopefully my editing skills will improve throughout this whole process as well. 

Anywho, class today was good! It was Modeling and Molding, and I did a decent job. We basically had to draw a nude model with clay. It was pretty stinkin’ fun. Plus my professor is quite attractive, so that’s always nice. Hm. Pretend I didn’t say that... lol. 

Okay I need to go to bed. I’ll be back to write soon!

❤xoxo,

Bimbles

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Referenced to the photos, hopefully above...

Well, both of these are very bad quality. And I should have documented the whole process, but that’s okay. I know for next time now. This is the painting I was talking about in my previous post. I just wanted to explain the concept behind it, so naturally I will just copy and paste the report I wrote on it for my teacher here. Enjoy!!

“For this painting inspired by Manet’s Luncheon in the Grass, I was intrigued by the gazes and the relationships between all the figures represented in his painting. The female figure in the back is looking down, while the male is gazing at the nude woman in front as she stares directly into the audience. I am interested in why she was staring right to the audience, so I wanted to put a feminist spin on that. I paint portraits in my personal work, so I decided to do a portrait for this painting as well. I chose to use a female model with short hair to play on and with the sexist ideas that all women must have long, beautiful hair. In contrast to Manet’s painting, she is not considering the audience, but rather gazing off into the distance as if not to care who is looking at her with a certain kind of quiet confidence that, to me, the woman in Manet’s painting does not seem to have. I chose to have the red fruit in the background of my painting to reinforce the idea of the woman, her fertility, and the sins that come from her fertility. In my painting, the woman is being rained with all these ideas, but still does not show that she cares. I want her to seem like she enjoys these silly ideas, or the red fruit falling around her, because she knows they are not true of her and she is much more than all the preconceived ideas that others put onto her for simply being a female. In my painting, I want to question the previous ideas of what a woman means to a man and what a woman’s response to that would be. In this case, the female does not care because she understands herself and does not allow men, the audience, or other females to skew her own thoughts and ideas in any way.”

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20/02/2017, 22:06

Hey guys! I’m watching Timmy Timato right now make a giant Twix bar... because I am really cool and can watch YouTube for hours. Oh wait, I just realized I have already seen this video. No joke. That just shows how much YouTube I watch... I forget what videos I have already seen. Well, that’s embarrassing. 

Hm, anyways... today was quite a normal day. I went to painting this morning, and I was on time! Which I’m proud of because I was late the last 2 classes. And I finished my painting today! We had to take inspiration from Manet’s, Luncheon in the Grass, so naturally, I did a portrait of a woman with red fruit falling all around her. In my journal, I was to lazy to write it out, but I’m typing now, so I can tell you the concept behind my piece! But that will be in my next blog post, so yeah I will write that next! I am actually pretty proud of my painting because we were only given one week to work on it, and I’m surprised that I finished on time. Also, it doesn’t look half bad, so that’s a plus! 

After class, I had lunch with Pinar, Diana and one other girl who I always forget her name. Diana is a woman from Spain who is very lovely. I could talk to her for hours, that’s how nice she is. Then Pinar and I went to go seek out supplies for our classes, but we didn’t have much luck since we just went to this Asian store, and all their stuff is really not good... So instead, she showed me where her permanent accommodation will be, and we went to this weird grocery store that smelled of fish and farts. I got some mango juice and baby powder (to replace my usual dry shampoo since I CAN’T FIND ANY HERE SO I AM FORCED TO WASH MY HAIR UGH) 

After, I just came home and had a lovely video chat session with my Momma. All the video chats I have had thus far have meant the world to me. I love sitting down and being with my loved ones. Then I made some very delicious and healthy budder noddles. Lol. Not really so healthy... After eating, I decided to be a bum b/c I suck. I should have gone out and sketched or something. Hmph. Maybe tomorrow. I’ll be back to write soon. 

♥xoxo,

Bimbles

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19/02/2017, 17:21

Holy poop... I am so hungover today. I drank too much last night at the Erasmus party. It was kind of weird actually. It felt like some kind of Tinder hook-up meet up. If that makes sense... There were just a bunch of gross guys not really wanting to make friends (which is what I thought the party was for) but instead, a giant flood of people on the dance floor with horny boys grabbing girls’ asses and waists. Trying to make small talk. And make out apparently. I literally had to push one dude off of me. I wanted to throw up when he went in for the kiss, and before he got too close, I pushed him away. Ugh. I felt so gross. Besides all the gross guys, I did have a lot of fun with Pinar and this other dude Sean Carlos? Maybe that is his name. Before we went to the party, I hung out at the hostel they are staying in with them. That was definitely my favorite part of the night which just reaffirms that large parties just are not for me. 

I also had my first Uber experience since the bar was too far from Campanhã, and the metro closes between 1-7 on Saturdays. I didn’t feel safe to walk, so my plan was either stay up until the metro opened again or call an Uber. The party was happening from like midnight until 6 o’clock in the morning... so I didn’t get home until around 4 am. Which is probably why I slept in until 3 pm today...

I already know this, but I think it needs to be said again... wine hangovers are the worst. I think today will just be a recovery day, so that I can be well rested for a week full of classes! By the way, my classes are going great :) Okie, I’ll be back to write soon.

♥xoxo,

Bimbles

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18/02/2017, 12:40 pm

Good morning!! Well, afternoon... I should say... I’ve been sleeping so much recently. I probably went to bed at like midnight last night so I slept at least 12 hours. I gotta stop doing that because when I sleep anywhere for too long, my whole body starts aching and I’m less motivated to do things during the day. Which I probably won’t do much today because Pinar and I are going to a party! I am so excited to meet some new people. And to drink with people. I’m getting a bit too comfortable here... I think. Because my lazy bones started to come back last night. I did, however, get a lot done on my painting. I should have no problem finishing by Monday. I also have to write a report on it. Woo! I need to like actually sit down and make a to-do list. My parents are (thankfully) sending me my brushes from home because right now, I only have 4 brushes to work with. And I hate sacrificing the quality of the work just because of my lack of supplies. They are also sending me my paint,  and my agenda, AND my favorite black jean jacket which I left behind because I did not want my bag (suitcase) to be too heavy at the airport. I also think the agenda will help me organize my thoughts on what I need to do because what is happening now is that I will wake up randomly in the middle of the night and remember things I need to do and then forget it in the morning. Yeah I gotta start writing this stuff down... Well I gotta go make lunch which seems to be pasta or salad these days. I’ll be back to write soon.

❤xoxo,

Bimbles

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16/02/2017, 22h

Ahh. Today was a bit better than yesterday. I am feeling better anyways, and I did more stuff which makes me happy. Today I had my Printmaking class at 14.00. I literally didn’t get out of bed until like 11 am. I slept at least 14 hours yesterday because I was so sick and exhausted. I made a few Portuguese friends today. It’s funny because they love and are so fascinated with America. I like that they are intrigued by my “American-ness” because it allows me to share my culture with them while they also share their culture with me. I bought some wine like 2 nights ago, and I couldn’t get it open... I’ve been so frustrated with it because I have been needing a drink. But I got it open tonight, so that makes me pretty happy. Maybe that’s why I am feeling a lot better than yesterday... Hm... I feel like I may become an alcoholic while I’m here because the bottles of wine are only around 1-3 euro!! In America, the wine I drink can get up to $15... so I’m definitely loving the cheap alcohol. After my Printmaking class, I hung out with Pinar (and yes, that is the correct way to spell her name. I’ve been spelling it Punar...whoops). We went to this place called Burger Ranch, and honestly it was terrible... kind of reminded me of McDonald’s. I still had fun with her nonetheless. I am so happy to have met her. Anyways, I am going to continue drinking my cheap wine. I’ll be back to write soon.

  ❤xoxo,

Bimbles

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15/02/2017, 13:49

I would like to try to write at least once a day. Let’s see if I can make that happen. Well, today I am sick :( I wanted to paint a lot today, but luckily my teacher pushed back the due date for our project to Monday instead of Friday, so I am definitely thankful for that!

I have made a really good friend the past few days. Her name is Punar, and she is from Turkey. She is so stinkin’ nice and sweet. I hope this weekend we will be able to go to the beach. She is currently living in a hostel at the moment until the 28th. She somehow volunteered at the hostel which is where she works there and gets to live there for free! I had no idea you could do that. She is also a painter like me, so I am excited to see her work. 

My past few days have been mainly me running around town buying supplies for printmaking. My teacher gave us the list all in Portuguese, so it has been hard for me and the other Erasmus (international) students to find the materials. All I need now is hard-ground and printing ink, so I think I have done good so far! 

Anywho, for the rest of today, I will be resting and trying to get over this sickness. I think all it is is a minor cold, but it is bad enough to where I think it is best for me to rest for the rest of the day so that I can kick butt for the rest of the week. With that said, I will be going now. Remember that life is short, so make the best of every moment that you have! Even when you’re sick :) I’ll be back to write soon.

❤xoxo,

Bimbles

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12/02/17, 16:40

So, it’s Sunday today. Yesterday I went out and about to explore more of the city. I found the Douro River which is what separates to two parts of Porto. It was so beautiful. There was this bridge that apparently is the best way to view the river. I think I will go there next weekend because I have a long week ahead of me. My classes have changed almost completely since the last time I talked about them. Now I will be taking Painting-Workshop 2, Painting Practices, Printmaking 2 and either Mosaics 1 or Molding and Casting. I am leaning more towards Mosaics 1 because that just sounds like fun to me, but we will see when I go there on Wednesday. 

I honestly can’t believe I have been here for almost 2 weeks now. I survived!! When I first arrived, I felt so lost and that I would never get the hang of things around here, but I’m actually doing really good right now :) I went to a new grocery store today called Lidls. It had way more variety than the Mini Preco I have been going to. I got pasta, pesto, spinach, zucchini, parsley, mozzarella, “salad cheese” which I think is kind of like feta, white onions, garlic, some plums, trash bags, air freshener (because my room still gives off this weird stench, but I’m slowly taking care of that), hmmm what else, deodorant, toothpaste, orange juice, and some other things I can’t remember at the moment. Hopefully this food will last me the whole week because I am still trying to save money right now. I want to make sure I have enough money for upcoming rent and maybe some traveling soon. We shall see! I did go to H&M yesterday though... oops. I needed shoes, jeans and some socks. But  also got an H&M beauty blender and highlighter. I couldn’t resist. I have been wanting to try the beauty blender for almost over a year now. It was totally worth the wait because the one at H&M was only 2.99 euro, and let me tell ya.. it is amazing. My foundation doesn’t look chunky or gross like it usually does. I don’t think I could ever go back to using a foundation brush or my fingers. That is how good this little sponge is. 

I just made some pesto pasta, and it was so good! I am finally eating food with some flavor lol. Last week all I ate was rice, potatoes, eggs and bread. But now that I have gotten my scholarship money, I can actually start eating right again. No more spending money though, not until I need more food of course. It’s really weird being a “responsible” adult.. lol. Paying rent and what not.. I never would have thought my first experience in having my very own place would be in another country. I am extremely thankful for it though. It really is great here now. 

I have my first painting project due on Friday, and I haven’t even started it yet.. so yes, that is what I will be doing the majority of this week. Woo! I’m hoping my parents can send my painting supplies from home to me here soon because I have had to buy like all new supplies, and honestly, it’s killing the wallet. 

I’m not sure what I will do for the rest of today. Probably start sketching for my upcoming painting, maybe I’ll watch a movie. Who knows. I just want to relax and get myself ready for this week coming up! 

Remember life is short, and nothing lasts forever. So.. guess what?? Make the best of every moment that you have because you never know what could happen tomorrow. I’ll be back to write again soon :)

❤xoxo,

Bimbles

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09/02/2017, 9:30 am

It’s so frustrating here…

As my dad said, “I’m in a new land…” how am I supposed to know everything I need to do here. I suppose I should have at least tried to learn Portuguese before coming, but honestly, that was the least of my worries 2 months ago… Before I came here, I was told that it wasn’t necessary for me to learn the language because the teachers would work with me and pretty much everyone here spoke English. That is partly true. A lot of people do speak English, and the professors are willing wo work with me, but only after the class is over. So basically, I have to sit through lessons taught in Portuguese, and then at the end of class, the professor will briefly explain the lesson and give me the assignment for the next class in English… So, what the fuck am I meant to learn here? Before I came here, I was told I only need a maximum of 150 Euro, and I would be golden until I got my scholarship money. Now that was bullshit. Thank god I have a very supportive family or else I wouldn’t even be here and/or I would be living on the streets here. My family and I have had to fork over more than $1,300 to get me here and to get me a place here. From my understanding 2 weeks ago, I could bring more or less than 150 Euro, and I would be okay until I got my scholarship money which would then allow me to find somewhere to live easily. Wrong. It’s been over a week, and I still haven’t gotten anything from the school except what they believe to be good advice? When I came here, I thought there might be a proper welcoming… Maybe a tour of the art community, but so far, I have had to be that annoying international student asking anyone and everyone for help. I feel like I have been crying out for help the moment I got here. Yes, the school helped me find the place that I live now, but they didn’t help me finance it, and they didn’t help me until the last day that I had my hotel… I’m still waiting on the scholarship money, and all I have is about 15 Euro in my wallet until then which I basically have to save for transportation money. Not only am I frustrated with the financial aspects, but now I am incredibly frustrated with the art classes which is where I thought I would have a safe haven in. I have no Wi-Fi every time I leave my place. They haven’t helped me sign up for that yet. They gave me these forms that I have to get the professors to sign if I’d like to take the class, but out of 4 classes that I have gone to, something has fucked up. I’m talking with the former dean of the place in about an hour, and I feel like when I tell him this stuff, it will all just sound like a bunch of personal problems that they don’t need to be bothered with. I just want to not stress about money and go to classes where I will actually learn something. I did not come here to be even more stressed out than I was at home. At some points, I feel like I shouldn’t have even come here because even when I have some glimmer of hope, it is shattered faster than it appeared. I have not met anyone who is going through the same thing as me here in the art faculty, so not only am I super fucking frustrated, I am also super fucking alone. I met one Erasmus student yesterday here, but since the Printmaking 1 class was too full yesterday, she decided to go to Printmaking 2 which is today. Ultimately, I decided to be a creep and follow behind her because 1) It didn’t seem like I was meant to be in that class because my name wasn’t even on the list (even though I signed up for it?!) and 2) I didn’t want to lose that one connection I had made with her. So, with that said, I had to give up Ceramics today, but now I have Printmaking 2 to go to and hopefully she is there, and I won’t get kicked out of the class this time… But remember what I said about my glimmers of hope here… they get shattered faster than they appeared. Let’s see if it’s that way again this time.

10:30 am

I just went to the Academic Services because they didn’t open until 10 am to try and get the Wi-Fi set up, and they sent me to the South Pavilion where the Information Services is at. They said there would be a man there to help me set it up, so I went there. And guess what? Information Services does not open until 11:30. Yep. That has been my life here… Going and asking for help somewhere just to be sent somewhere else. And more times than not, when I go to the place someone sends me, it is either closed or there is no one to help. I keep trying to remember that I was sent here for a reason. I just haven’t found what that reason is yet. I needed to rant to someone or something… So, that is what this is. I apologize. I try to stay positive, but I can only take so much frustration. I’m reminding myself that this is only temporary, just like everything else, so I will do my best to continue trying to make the best of every moment I have here. It has just been very difficult… More difficult that I could have ever imagined it would be. Wish me luck. I’m doing my best. I’m about to go talk with the former dean. Maybe he can help me. I’m not sure what he even wants to talk about. We’ll see. I’ll be back to write soon.

18:57 pm

UPDATE: Today turned out actually wonderful. Again, I am sorry for being such a cranky poo head. I have to get it out somewhere. But yeah, when I met with the former dean, he turned out to be one of the painting professors! And he was super nice, helpful and understanding. He took me around and had me meet some professors I might be having class with. I then finally finally finally got my Wi-Fi username and password, so I officially have connection to the Interwebs while I’m at school which is definitely a step in the right direction. And to top it all off, I attended my first class that didn’t go completely and totally wrong! It was Printmaking 2, and we started learning about intaglio processes. I met a few people as well which is nice. People were surprised I was from America.. Apparently I am the first American in quite some time to come to study art at the University of Porto. Maybe that is why my experience has been difficult. Who knows? I have painting tomorrow, so I’m super excited about that. Things are looking up! Okay, I’m for real leaving this time. I’ll be back to write again soon.

❤xoxo,

Bimbles

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Here is a couple horrible quality photos of the view from my classroom today that I mentioned in the previous post :)

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17-02-07, 14h-18h

 These are some notes I took in the class I attended today.

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Video 1 Practices

Well, I already asked the teacher in advance this time, and it is taught in Portuguese, but she said the prompts can be made in English and that I could stay. So why not sit through another class taught in a different language... I might as well. Maybe it will turn out to be good for me. So far, I have no idea what is going on so that’s a good sign. Lol. I don’t know what I expected to be honest with you. Maybe I just don’t really want to go home right now. Yeah, that’s probably it. The teacher kind of reminds me of one of my professors back at home. I like her even though I have no idea what she is saying. I thought she was a student at first when she walked up the stairs to the classroom because she seems so laid-back. But who knows if she is? I don’t know what she is saying. 

Besides that, this classroom is amazing. Not the classroom part, but the view is beautiful. It is on the 3rd floor of the building in room PS42. This is the South  Pavilion by the way. But yeah, back to the view. It overlooks a bunch of buildings and homes. That’s the thing about Portugal, I never know what the building I’m looking at is. Sometimes they are apartments. Other times they are stores. Sometimes they are banks. Other times they are nothing. I don’t know because they all seem to look the same. Historical with usually beautiful tiling and orange roofs. Most of the time I can use context clues around the building to figure out what it is. But overlooking some of the city now, I cannot tell which building is what. It really is beautiful. It makes me want to take this class just for the view. Well, actually I don’t have to take this class for the view because I have another class in this room Thursday morning.

I feel kind of weird right now though because the teacher knows I do not speak Portuguese, so she is probably wondering what I am doing. I think she is just going over what this class will consist of. That’s normally what people do on the first day of class right? It’s weird because I will have these periods of time where I will try to listen, but that’s kind of pointless for obvious reasons. Everyone else is listening intensely, so that is probably why I feel the need to instead of writing this. But writing this will not be such a waste of time as it would be if I tried listening to her anymore. I feel bad, but it is what it is. I am enjoying this either way.

This morning I finally signed my scholarship contract, so I will be getting my scholarship money soon. That makes me very excited because then the struggle will be over! And I’m getting the hang of transportation around here. The metro has been my best friend the past couple of days, and I’m sure it will stay my best friend over the 6 months considering I ride the metro everyday to get to the Faculdade de Belas Artes. I take Campanhã to Campo 24 de Agosto if any of you know what that is. I am still learning myself. I have heard that it is easier to take the bus... but the last time I got on a bus here, I was taken almost 2 hours from where I needed to be so yeah. I’m staying away from the bus system for a little while because that was terrifying for me. I understand the metro, and the metro understands me, so I’m going to try and keep this good relationship going.

I think I’m going to edit my next video for Youtube tonight. The next one is me leaving America (finally) and arriving in Porto (finally). So that should be fun. I have already filmed another one which will be posted after that. Warning for that future video, I get super emotional for some reason. You’ll just have to watch it when I post it to understand. I’m feeling a lot better now, so that is good. I’m starting to get the hang of things, and I feel more comfortable asking people for help when I need it. I have met a few really nice people by doing that, so it has it’s benefits. 

My hand is starting to hurt from writing so much, so I’m going to go. Thank you for reading. Check out my Youtube channel for more of my journey in Porto. Remember life is short and everything is temporary, so make the best of every moment that you have. I’ll be back to write soon.

❤xoxo,

Bimbles

-Sidenote: I met some girl from Malaysia today at the contract signing, and she was very nice. She told me she is studying engineering. I can’t wait until I find a permanent friend here. So far, no one I have met in the Fine Arts community is in the same position as me. Hopefully, I’ll find a friend or two.

Youtube Channel-

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs39a93w_YRTP0vdL3ox4nw

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17-02-06, 18h-20h

These are the notes I took during my first class. I hope you are just as confused as I was.

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Psicologia da Arte

dribeiro@fba.up.pt

*Does not speak English lol

f a a a a a a a a a a i l

Well, while I wait for this class to be over, I will write a list of things I still need:

1. nail clippers

2. new shoes

3. hair scissors

4. art supplies - pencils, paint, brushes, etc.

5. juicer

6. umbrella, since your’s broke...

Oh gosh, the teacher just showed a photo of that one photograph of the nude woman holding her irregularly large penis. I need to look up the name of this because I know it, and I love this piece! (Update: I can’t find it, help me out if you know it) He is talking about Mike Kelley: The Uncanny now which is apparently a performance and installation artist. I only know this because it is on the board in English right now. Also, it’s super cold in here... I sat in the 2nd to 1st row thinking someone may sit in the first row or in this row with me, but everyone sat behind me, of course. I just really, really hope he doesn’t try to talk to me in front of the class because that will be embarrassing. 

He is now mentioning Susan Miller who created “From the Freud Museum” made in 1991-1996/mixed media installation. It looks interesting. I have no idea what he is saying, but I like what he is showing us. I’m sitting here, daydreaming pretty much at this point, and I am smelling my hair, as you do. I’m noticing that I am beginning to smell different. Not bad, just different. More like the people here. Oh, I forgot to mention he is talking a lot about Sigmund Freud which I appreciate because Freud was a cool and intelligent man.

I wonder what time it is... Time sure does go by slow when you’re sitting in a lecture being taught in a different language. But it’s still kind of fun @ the same time, in a weird way. *why did I just use an actual @ sign instead of just writing “at”... the world may never know, and neither will I. 

[bimblingaround-blog]

2017-02-05, 17:48

So, I’m doing a lot of typing today. But I actually wrote my first blog post while I was waiting in the JFK Airport. I just now typed it up today because procrastination, of course. Also.. I’ve been super busy getting my life together here in Portugal! I have done so much the past few days like get a tax number, set up my own bank account here, get a phone that I can actually use to communicate with people here, and most importantly, find a permanent accommodation which was a struggle, let me tell ya. 

I definitely should have planned better before coming here because I thought all was going to be peachy and perfect, but first and foremost, this will always be life. And life is not always peachy and perfect. BUT now I do officially have a permanent accommodation, and I really do like it. I have my own private room with a “kitchenette” and my own bathroom which I personally prefer because I love having my privacy and being on my own. However... I cannot wait until school starts because I really want to start meeting people and having friends around here. It has been difficult these past 6 days because one, I haven’t had time to make friends, and two, I want to make friends with the people in the Art Department here. I think I start school on Tuesday, or I hope I do at least. I just want to be able to really indulge myself in my work. I have absolutely no excuses here, and I love it. 

Tomorrow, I will be going to the school to meet with someone about my classes and ask about how all that works. I’m exited to see what my weekly schedule is going to be looking like. At the moment, I will be taking Painting-Materials and Techniques, Printmaking I, Sculptural Practices, and the Psychology of Art! I was going to take Photography Practices, but unfortunately all the spots are filled in there, so I have to think of something else I want to take, I plan on asking about that when I go in tomorrow. 

Today, I went and walked around the new area I am in. There isn’t too much here, but I have everything I need in walking distance like a Mini Market, an ATM, a pharmacy, little clothes stores and many little cafes which I plan to check out soon. Also, I am not too far from the art building which I will refer to as Faculdades de Belas Artes. I am about 11 minutes away from there by Metro. I’m about a 3 minute walk from the Campaha metro station which I take to the 24 de Agosto metro station and then walk around 6 minutes to Faculdades de Belas Artes! That was the main thing I wanted to be sure of when I was looking for a place here, that I was close to school. 

Well, it is starting to get dark here, so I need to make dinner! Then the plan for tonight is to just veg out on Extreme Makeover: Weightloss Edition because I have just been loving that show right now for some reason, don’t ask.

I will leave you by reminding you and myself to be mindful that life is short and everything is temporary, so we need to make the best of every moment we have. Thank you for reading, I’ll be back to write soon.

❤xoxo,

Bimbles

[bimblingaround-blog]

Wherever I roam. Where I lay my head is home. Carved upon my stone. My body will lie but still I'll roam. It won't matter the outcome of residence. I'll be happy either way.

Poem by Metallica, Re-Quoted By My Father